ID-mania

IDs also known as identification. It is what society as a whole use as credibility; as a means of proving that one is who they claim to be. Needed for everything ranging from buying a pack of cigarillos from a gas station to voting for the next president of the United States. But when it comes down to voting it seems like dilemma is definitely bigger in Texas. Due to the approximate 650,000 workers in America who lacked the basic forms of ID, a new ID was formed; known as an EIC or election identification certificate. This enabled those with invalid ID to vote at the polls for the upcoming election. Voting to many is vitally important and the inability to do so was an immense problem, and it still is. Although EICs are issued for free there are thousands of requests that aren't being met. In Georgia 2,182 EICs have been issued and 2,539 in Mississippi since the program commenced 10 months ago. Texas DPS has provided only 371 EICs since June of 2013. There seems to be some discrepancies in these statistics to me. Supposedly Tom Vigner a DPS spokesman claimed that a majority of the people making inquiries have valid forms of ID, which raises the question of why is this happening? Many Texas residents have however found alternative means for casting their vote. Many mail in their ballots if they meet the the certain requirements, and others have even pursued gaining a Texas state ID instead of waiting for EICs; but have been discouraged due to the vast price difference between the two. A state ID costing $16 and an additional $22 if the person does not have a birth certificate while an EIC a birth certificate can be obtained for as low as $3. All in all I believe that there shouldn't be any catch-22 when it comes to voting. It is an unalienable right for the citizens of the US whether they are apart of a minority group or a group not containing proper ID. If they can prove that they are citizens then that is all they should be required to do.